Dorothy worked opposite Bab's Woods in New Orleans in the 1970s.

Rick & Dorothy's 8-song-30 minute Old Time Sing-Along Special-- with Kareoke Lyrics here! -- Activity Directors: Try it out-- Give us a call... We'll EVEN bring a piano!

Email us at rick_potvin@yahoo.com in Phoenix, AZ and we can be at your retirement community with just 24 hours notice-- to lead your group in a rousing 8 song singalong on one piano or two-- with big print lyrics in song books. But most of your residents 70 and up will already know these songs by heart anyway! Reasonable rates.

Five Foot Two - p. 1

I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - p. 2

My Blue Heaven - P. 3

Ain't She Sweet?- P. 4

Ja-Da - P. 5

Bye Bye Blackbird - P. 6

Piano Roll Blues - P. 7

When the Saints go Marching In - P. 8

Angel of the Morning-- Compare the original with what's possible on a $100 keyboard and a few lessons.

For Acitivity Directors at Arizona's Retirement Communities: Sing Alongs to tunes your residents in their 70's, 80, and 90's know.

by Rick Potvin

Hey Activity Directors-- Singing is healthy! Here is a set of tunes that Dorothy and me can play LIVE for your residents on the piano. We'll bring the sing along books. To get ready, use this playlist and we'll do the same songs LIVE! What a way to energy your residents and keep them excited about being alive in their later years and sharing memories! Call us at (602) 371-0094 or email me at rick_potvin@yahoo.com. If you don't have a piano, we'll even bring one! Rates are reasonable. We know your budgets are tight.

Use the video above to get the sing along feeling of things (most have karaoke lyrics), then watch Dorothy and me play and sing the same tunes we can play for your residents live, with 50 sing along books to be distributed to those brave enough to sing along. Most of them won't even need those books however since they already know the tunes. If you have younger retirees, contact us with more specific information and we'll taylor a show just for them. [SING ALONG WITH DOROTHY AND RICK HERE] 

What a Wonderful World chord changes have a 2 unique points.

 Here's a tune that Louis Armstrong made famous... and then my piano/version. There's one thing I have over Armstong-- I'm playing it on the piano at the same time I'm singing it.

The two unique chord points by composer GEORGE DAVID WEISS involve the bVI... which comes at the point when you sing "I think to myself". The other unique point is "see friends shakin hands"... there's a tension there with vi-V-vi-V-vi-#io-ii-#io-V7. I'll discussion those more in the... discussion. These chord changes are worth noting and can be used in may different songs. The genius of the song isn't so much in Louis Armstrong's delivery, in my view, as in Weiss's composition. I think Armstong overdoes it. DISCUSSION FOR WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

Live Piano and Sing Along for Your Retirement Residence.

Are you an Activity Director at a Phoenix area retirement or Active Adult Living community? 

Are you looking for a musical activity? 

Consider Rick and Dorothy, piano player / vocalists who can also lead your activities group in singalongs with their favorite songs from the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. 

Our rates are very competitive. If you have a grand piano on site, that's great. Or if you don't, we can bring our portable digital piano. See us online at www.PianoLessonsEtc.com. Or give us a phonecall at (602) 371-0094. Email rick_potvin@yahoo.com

And now... on with the show! (30 minute Senior SingAlong)

One-time radio station Martini-in-the-Morning crew came to visit us.

by Rick Potvin

Sometime in 2011, Dorothy and me finally got to meet the crew from the radio station that was broadcasting the "lounge sound" in Phoenix. We would listen to it faithfully going to and from work at the Golden Buddha restaurant every day. It really helped us to "get in the swing of things" quite literally. The station is still broadcasting today though not in Phoenix other than through the internet. I recently had the pleasure of meeting vocalist Steve Tyrell on Twitter--

DISCUSSION...AMAZING!!!-- hashtag exists for this song... including Steve tyrell

My childhood piano on the 19th floor in an apartment?

by Rick Potvin

I enjoyed the piano so much that when I moved to Toronto after my four years of university, I actually had my family piano moved to the 19th floor of this apartment building.
The apartment, of course, had a freight elevator. But I would never do this today of course. The thing weighed a ton-- almost-- several hundred pounds at least. This was long before digital pianos made the piano playing life so much easier.

Piano music appropriate for a restaurant's piano lounge-- for 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

We have... Dorothy Motto at the piano this evening.... playing a few of her favorites for your dining pleasure.

Good evening... It's balmy and dusty here in Phoenix AZ this evening-- quite different from my home province of Ontario, Canada where I see on the news that there have been power outages due to freezing rain and wind. No piano dining for them tonight. If you're NOT in Ontario, then you can listen to Dorothy while having dinner this evening... This is new video for April 15, 2013. We're still casting about for a new restaurant to play since Golden Buddha closed so if you know anyone in Pheonix who would like to add piano to the menu, point them to us if you would. Thanks! --Rick Potvin.

Scale Chord Lesson 1 - pay attention! This stuff "counts"!

By Rick Potvin

Welcome to a series of "scale chord" lessons. This is material that every piano beginner should know right off the bat. There's no point in waiting... [etc remark-- especially since the world is facing a financial crash that be corrected with Glass Steagall Act-- google it and learn more than any school will tellyou]. More on scale chords here through this magic link. Rick Potvin | Piano Lessons in Phoenix, Arizona: SCALE CHORD LESSON 1

Rick Potvin will lead you through your piano lesson using online internet tools... for free at this time!

by Rick Potvin

I've been playing with various online tools to see what I can do to teach piano online after having taught in person since 1993 in my home, student's homes, retail stores and charter schools. Key word: "Play", as in "playing with the tools". Today, I'll attempt to take this a step further and actually deliver a lesson to a student, for free at this time.

Jacob was one of our students who had to travel a long distance and could no longer do so. As a piano instructor, I'm not up to speed on Skype yet-- which is what some advanced technology teachers are doing-- but I CAN use some of the tools online that I DO have at my disposal, such as this blog, my forum and Youtube videos. Isn't Youtube fantastic now?

So Jacob was working on Ave Maria and I'd like to point him to the outline I created where he'll find various links to particular sites that I found useful. First though, here is a playlist of 3 arrangements that take about 10 min. to watch. This in itself is a lesson so if YOU are interested in playing this famous Classical piece, follow along. Once you're done with the playlist, you'll be in the forum link and you can post questions in the forum without logging in.

Youtube and discussion...enter...
PLAYLIST (about 9 minutes, 3 videos) Required viewing for students.

20 minute Home Organ set by Dorothy on Technics EA-1

Broadway Show Songs...
Everything's Coming Up Roses from Gypsy and There's No Business Like Show Business from Annie Get Your Gun
Queen of the Organ, Ethel Smith's Favorites....Brazil, Tico Tico, and Cumana
Lenny Dee's Summer Samba
From Dixieland, Sweet Georgia Brown featuring clarinet.

Are you a Home Organ Owner? Click here!]

Attention Home Organ Owners

Attention Home Organ Owners 

in Sun City and Sun Lakes, Arizona

.... and Seniors looking for 

a new stimulating hobby throughout Phoenix.

Learn to play your Home Organ the fun and easy way. 

Learn how to play with PROPER TIMING 

using drums and orchestra backgrounds.

We teach on all types and models of organs:

Lowery--Technics--Baldwin--Hammond--Wurlitzer.

Learn how to have fun while enjoying your Home Organ.

Enjoy playing your favorite songs on your Home Organ

Learn to play famous broadway songs on the Home Organ 

with Dorothy Motto the fun and easy way.

Listen to the songs on the video below-- You can play them too! 

Broadway Show Tunes

South Pacific - Bali Hai

Sound of Music - Climb Every Mountain, Do Re Me, Edelweiss, Getting to Know You

South Pacific-Getting to Know You

The King and I - Happy Talk

South Pacific - I Whistle a Happy Tune

Sound of Music - My Favorite Things

Oklahoma - Oh What a Beautiful Morning

King and I - Shall we Dance.

Call Us at (602) 371-0094 or Email rick_potvin@yahoo.com

to schedule an appointment at our studio or your home.

Reasonable Fees. 

Now ON WITH THE SHOW! ...

Call Us at (602) 371-0094 or Email rick_potvin@yahoo.com

to schedule an appointment at our studio or your home.

Reasonable Fees.

Discussion, updates and Twitter 
#suncityaz - AD for ORGAN LESSONS in #suncityaz

An hour of John Williams greatest hits including Star Wars Theme-- for your Wed. morning "piano lesson".

Good morning! I've been listening to this John William's 1 hr Youtube this morning and wanted to share it with you-- our piano students or parents of our younger students.. or anyone interested in playing piano. The symphony orchestra arrangements are not always easily translatable to piano but many themes are... like the Star Wars theme which we teach our students here. There are chord changes of the best known John Williams tunes that are uplifting and sort of magnificent. If you do nothing but hunt and peck a bit of the Star Wars theme, I'll be back later today to guide you through it here online as far as that's possible.

Discussion and various considerations... JURASSIC PARK OVERTURE - pointed to by Jarod Heveron  No log in is needed for this forum-- just jump into the discussion and we'll all learn how to play it. 

Listening homework tonight: 5 min Jurassic Park Overture

PianoLessonEtc. is about more than piano lessons. Piano lessons are inadequate to the task of learning to play the piano. As a piano student, you need to listen to a wide range of music, of great music especially. Jurassic Park Overture is an example of that. I'll look for piano covers of this in coming days and try it myself. If you want to learn it, just ask Dorothy or me. We'll show you how to play it at any skill level you're at. I ran across this piece on twitter #pianolessons from someone who said they would learn to play the piano for this song alone! I've often met students like that. They're motivated by a particular song. Maybe you will be too! Let me know what you think in the forum discussion here--> JURASSIC PARK OVERTURE - pointed to by Jarod Heveron

Dorothy Motto will teach you to play your keyboard like this... and KNOW what you're doing... in 6 months.

Do you have a piano keyboard at your house sitting there unused? Learn to play popular and well known songs with full orchestration inside of 6 months with one lesson per week from Dorothy or Rick. Here are a few songs from Book 7 of Dorothy's custom course.

Songs in this 15 minute set are...
I'm looking over a four leaf clover.(ensemble)
When the saints go marching in (piano/ens)
Five foot two (piano/ens)
In the Mood (ensemble)
Marianne (ensemble)
More (ensemble)
Hail hail the gang's all here. (ensemble)

To train you to hear the different parts of the orchestra in the above ensemble versions of the songs, Dorothy will lead you through the process of first playing the left hand accompaniment with a straight piano pattern just like professional piano players do. Here are two songs in 2 1/2 minutes demonstrating the technique that you'll be playing from Dorothy's Book 7.

I'm looking over a four leaf clover (piano)
In the Mood (piano)

If you are an current student at Dorothy's studio, you can benefit greatly by listening to the finished versions of these songs in YOUR book so that you'll be able to know how they should sound. If you're a parent of one of our students, you too will now know how these songs from Book 7 should sound. You don't have to know how music works to enjoy listening! See you next lesson!--Rick 

A dining restaurant with a piano is not a nightclub--- a nightclub does not serve food-- just liquor.

by Dorothy Motto

A restaurant that has a classy decor has extremely high prices for food, in Scottsdale Arizona, has destroyed their dining ambiance by having a phony piano player who is not a pianist-- not a real player-- play kareoke on a laptop computer while sitting at a grand piano. Enough is enough!

Bring back the legitimate pianists who can authentically play the piano, not pretending to play the keys. It is not possible to look at a TV and follow a sports game while playing a piano and not looking at the keys and only sing words to a song. The Backtrax are playing while the piano player watches sports. Enough phonyness with high prices for dining!

On a Saturday night, where a steak alone is $50 with side dishes extra and a glass of wine is $15, a table of 4 people spends over $400 or more like $600 after drinks, they have to listen to loud blaring music with a bass that is turned up too high. And the songs are wrong. Mac the Knife and Mageritaville are BAR and night club songs. There were no piano instrumentals, only phony people pretending to play piano using i-pods to call up backtrax. The pianist cannot take requests from customers and they don't even play Happy Birthday or anniversary songs when called for.

This is a bait and switch situation because they advertise a piano player but there is no legitimate pianist who can really play the piano and add appropriate vocals. The kareoke piano player pretends to play the keys but only plays some chords. The music is too loud and there are never any piano solos because the piano player simply can't do it. They rely on backtrax.

The bass level is way too high. Vocals are sung on every single song. Songs chosen at this restaurant are for nightclubs and offered nothing to diners in a piano style. The repertoire was poor and did not compliment a classy atmosphere. There was no romantic ambiance where people could communicate and talk. There was no piano styling and no originality.

You can go to four different high class restaurants in central Scottsdale and they're all doing the same thing. Enough is enough Bring back the pianist who can really play the piano who has a large repertoire and adds vocals sparingly, the way dining piano should be.

Dorothy's graduating classes from Aim High Charter School in Chandler.

Congratulations to Dorothy's piano students on their achievement on completely her piano workshop! 

Here are the songs they have learned and can play.

Largo, by Dvorak
Mary had a little lamb.
Waltz in C Major.
Yankee Doodle
Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss.

The students  have learned to read music in the treble clef and the bass clef.  Congratulations! 

Dorothy Motto. 

Dorothy plays Richard Clayderman songs for George and Meona and sons.

Richard Clayderman has taken French folk melodies and created beautiful romantic piano music out of them that have made him famous, especially in Asia. In this 15 minute set, Dorothy plays her interpretation of four Clayderman tunes....

1. A Comme Amour.

2. Lettre a Ma Mere

3. Nostalgy

4. Sourvenir D'enfance.

Dave Frank's 15 jazz styles for piano.

Here's a 45 minute lesson for more advanced students that I like and that can recommend. I've been visiting a few piano restaurant clubs around town here in Phoenix and it seems to me that there are few real piano players. Most guys and gals are comping to the sounds of a backtrax on a laptap on the piano with the bass and instruments turned up too loud with every song being a vocal-- yet piano playing and piano bar restaurants are not supposed to be like that. If you're interested in real piano bar restaurants, watch this. --Rick Potvin@55

Discussion and more lecture videos about improvization on musical grammar.
 LEFT HAND COMPING in jazz

Burton Cummings played piano AND sang lead--- great technique good tunes.

 

A trio like Andres Ortiz playing at Eddie V's in Scottsdale costs a lot $$$

 by Rick Potvin

Pretty good trio-- that Ortiz trio! Reminds me a bit of Chick Corea and my time in Buffalo, N.Y. This is really good material. I don't know the tunes however... and worse-- it's very likely that this is a very high priced little band. Dorothy and me play for a lot less money as independents so if you're a restauranteur looking for live entertainment, I can say that we don't operate like a trio-- we take turns doing solo piano-- but for a lot less money.

Richard Clayderman has helped open the minds of Asians to western VERTICAL harmony.

by Rick Potvin

For thousands of years, Asians were locked into melody lines of great intracacy. Nobody ever      thought to stack notes vertically until Pachelbel and other European composers like Bach and Beethoven who extended this practise. In modern times, as Asia opened up to the West, Richard Clayderman reinterpreted many Asian melodies by incorporating stacked harmonics into them and today he's one the most active people in the world who is conditioning Asians with more complex vertical harmony.

Dorothy uses the Technics piano ensemble piano to play another favorite Clayderman tune titled simply "Song in C Minor".

This week, I'd like readers and students to listen to some Clayderman segments on Youtube starting here...20 min Clayderman concert-- live in Japan 2012